


The Birds of Life

by JustJim



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek, Alternate Universe, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, Ficlet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27916333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJim/pseuds/JustJim
Summary: Derek contemplating life. A one shot look into Derek and Stiles living at the loft together with their toddler daughter Beth.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	The Birds of Life

A loud bang followed by a much softer little 𝑡𝘩𝑢𝑚𝑝 came from upstairs. Three heads swiveled up at the noise at the same time as the rest of the household was blissfully unaware, though the Irish wolfhound's eyes peeked open curiously, the deaf ears hadn't caught on. The cat was already on her stomach prowling up the stairs, the other dog decided it wasn't worth his effort while Derek had his head tilted still, book slowly closing. Stiles looked at him with an inquisitive look, obviously his human ears hadn't picked up on all the noise so the alpha shook his head, it was probably nothing. Still, he did get up from the couch to go about his 'wolfy ways' as his husband so eloquently put it when referring to super hearing and super smell.

Creeping up the stairs after the other predator, Derek couldn't immediately spot the reason and he was about to let Little Red outside onto the roof garden when he saw it. A white greasy spot on the windows of the steel door, a clear stamp of a bird. He carefully opened the door to not step on it by accident, seeing the little ball of feathers on its back, twitching. It was a miracle it was even still alive but clearly not for long with the red blood pooling into its tiny beak. He could hear the way the lungs were full of blood and how hard the small heart was working on fixing something it couldn't fix. Carefully Derek scooped the sparrow in his large hand, closing it so the bird could soak up his warmth when it was clearly in shock. It struggled to breathe a few times before going still, the beady black eyes going flimsy grey quickly.

It was part of life, to die. Birds were lucky in a way, they didn't get to think about the end at all because they were too busy in the now. They knew hunger, pain, fear and contentment, they had basic needs and nothing more. But what humans would never understand is how intense animals felt, they could never grasp at why werewolves were so overwhelming in presence, why they felt so much deeper. It was part of the predator they still were, that animalistic side of them. So in a way, Derek felt for that little life that stopped being, understanding the now more than anyone. Taking a shovel, he quickly buried it.

And if Stiles had noticed the flowerbeds gaining all the little stones marking the tiny graves, he never had said anything about it. Derek didn't mark them out of sentiment though, more that Beth wouldn't get her hands on a half decomposed bird by accident when they were gardening. So he told himself. And when there were suddenly stickers put on the windows upstairs, Derek said it was for the kids. Even though one of the kids wasn't even born yet and the other one had once found a dead crow, deemed it 'cool' and wanted to add it to her stone collection.

𝑁𝑜, he had told her. 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑, 𝑤𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝐸𝑎𝑟𝑡𝘩. 𝑇𝘩𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. They had buried the crow together, it was somewhere under one of the pebbles in the flowerbeds but she didn't understand dead, yet. Fortunately.

Stiles had given him that look, the look Derek had started calling his 'You're my fluffy big soft marshmallow werewolf alpha' look. One that told him Stiles knew oh so well it wasn't for the kids at all. Derek had sighed deeply, going back to putting stickers on the windows. He knew how precious life could be, had learned that killing wasn't the only option, it was only the easiest one. Prolonging lives took a lot of work but even small sparrows deserved a day longer if he could help it. He glanced to where Beth was playing with the dogs, happy laughing, to Stiles full and round and his look turned warm and happy.

Stiles gave him that look again, so he ducked his head and grumbled. "Shut up." It lacked any heat, and his mate laughed softly, nudging his shoulder.

Yeah. Big old softy. By choice. And he loved it secretly.


End file.
